Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad missed out on a half-century as they reached 94 for four after 19.2 overs.

Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad missed out on a half-century as they reached 94 for four after 19.2 overs, in chase of 276 set by Sri Lanka in the first ODI at Hambantota.

Shehzad struck five boundaries and faced 61 balls as he scored 49 runs. He was dismissed by Thisara Perera, as the Sri Lankan bowler managed to find a gap between the batsman’s bat and pads.

Pakistan made a poor start as they lost Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan and Umar Akmal in quick succession which reduced them to 79 for three after 15.3 overs. was dismissed early by Angelo Mathews.

Earlier, rain had interrupted play resulting in the match being reduced to 45-overs each. Sri Lanka were reeling at 75 for the loss of four wickets, at one point. Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews formed a 100-run partnership to help the hosts recover.

Both teams will look to strike the right team balance ahead of ICC World Cup 2015.